Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Fuquay-Varina grades A overall, ranked 6th of 286 in North Carolina, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 91% of the country and crime is low: it reports less per resident than 80% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $115K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $435K, 4.3 years of the Raleigh metro’s $100K median household income. 54% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Fuquay-Varina, against 29% in North Carolina’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Fuquay-Varina has 11 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Fuquay Mineral Spring and Jones-Johnson-Ballentine Historic District. Only 5 of the 153 North Carolina towns we compare have a lower property offense rate than Fuquay-Varina.
Where Fuquay-Varina beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Fuquay-Varina | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10% | 15.2% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Herbert Akins Rd Elementary | PK–5 | 988 |
| South Lakes Elementary | PK–5 | 774 |
| Fuquay-Varina Elementary | PK–5 | 772 |
Census counts: 127 in 1910, 34,152 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1925 and 3 maps from 1974 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Fuquay-Varina is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fuquay-Varina. Close and well known come first.
16 mi Stadium & arenaLenovo Center
15 mi Stadium & arenaCarter–Finley Stadium
26 mi Stadium & arenaKenan Memorial Stadium
14 mi Stadium & arenaWakeMed Soccer Park
26 mi Stadium & arenaDean Smith Center
16 mi MuseumNorth Carolina Museum of ArtLenovo Center: Edward T. Funkhouser, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carter–Finley Stadium: SMaloney, CC BY 3.0 · Kenan Memorial Stadium: Yeungb, CC BY 3.0 · WakeMed Soccer Park: Hameltion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dean Smith Center: No machine-readable author provided. Snargle~commonswiki assumed (based on copyr, Public domain · North Carolina Museum of Art: Justin Doub, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fuquay-Varina, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Fuquay-Varina.
Fuquay-Varina fares better on crime within North Carolina than nationally and has household incomes well above the North Carolina norm, but it has commutes longer than most of North Carolina.
18% of Fuquay-Varina adults get no exercise outside work. Fuquay-Varina: 10% of adults report frequent physical distress.
| Fuquay-Varina | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 24% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.2% | 13% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Fuquay-Varina | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10% | 15.2% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 6% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Three of its 13 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Its public schools are run by the Wake County Schools. 6 public schools serve Fuquay-Varina, with 4,594 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herbert Akins Road MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,253 | – |
| Willow Spring HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,223 | – |
| Fuquay-Varina HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,858 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
At 8.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 96% of North Carolina’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 37 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
Fuquay-Varina’s violent offense rate stands at 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The average commute for its 17,862 working residents takes 33.1 minutes, against 25.1 across North Carolina. Jobs based here grew from 7,657 in 2013 to 11,785.
In Fuquay-Varina, the average commute is 33 minutes. Only 8% of working residents stay in Fuquay-Varina for work; the rest commute out. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs locally rose by 4,128, to 11,785. 30% of workers work remotely from home in the town.
| Fuquay-Varina | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 30% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $115,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.2% | 13% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median property tax bill is $3,141, against $1,896 across North Carolina, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Zillow values the typical Fuquay-Varina home at about $435,000, down 2.2% in a year, 31% above the North Carolina typical home. Its typical rent comes in at $1,720 a month. Sellers in Fuquay-Varina got 99.2% of the asking price, typically.
| Fuquay-Varina | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,720 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 67% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In July, afternoons reach 90°; in January, nights fall to 31°, and about 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 66% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 70% of Fuquay-Varina’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 8% to tornadoes. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2016.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest park or preserve is Hilltop Needmore Town Park & Preserve, at 75 acres. Count the trails in 14 parks and preserves and they come to 2.7 miles. The trail density in Fuquay-Varina is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Fuquay-Varina | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Caroll Howard Johnson Environmental Education Park | 0.7 mi | 22 |
| 2. South Park | 0.3 mi | 23 |
| 3. Hilltop Needmore Town Park & Preserve | — | 75 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Fuquay-Varina
About 4 of every 100 Fuquay-Varina residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
17,937 counted in 2010 and 34,152 in 2020; an estimated 48,536 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 41.6% since 2020, after 90.4% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
11 places in Fuquay-Varina on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Fuquay-Varina.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Fuquay-Varina ( FYOO-kway vuh-REE-nuh) is a town in southern Wake County, North Carolina, United States, lying south of Holly Springs and southwest of Garner. The population was 34,152 at the 2020 census, and estimated at 48,536 as of July 2025. The hyphenated name attests to the town's history as two separate towns. Fuquay Springs and Varina merged in 1963 to create the modern town. Economically, the town initially grew due to tobacco trade and agriculture, but has seen recent population growth and real estate development due to its proximity to Research Triangle Park.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Fuquay-Varina.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuquay-Varina | #6 | A | C | A− | A− | A |
| Holly Springs | #17 | A− | C− | B+ | A− | A+ |
| Garner | #103 | B− | C+ | D | A− | A− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Fuquay-Varina grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #6 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades A for health, A− for safety and A− for schools.
3 notable people were born here, including Conor Donovan and Curley Bridges.
